It is common in the mobile radio telephone field to provide a radio telephone with a memory in which telephone numbers and other data can be stored. This memory, typically known simply as a phonebook, can store a telephone number (which may be manually entered or may be received in the form of a caller ID number or from a directory service) and a corresponding name or nickname which is typically entered manually by a user through a keypad. Phonebooks are becoming a very valuable resource to telephone users and greatly facilitate ease of usage, avoiding the need for paper lists, diaries and telephone directories.
It is also common for an incoming call to be identified by means of a caller ID and for the phone book to be searched for a telephone number so-identified to help the user identify the calling party. If the received telephone number matches an entry in the phone book, the name or nickname entered in the phone book can be displayed on a display of the device and the user can decide whether to answer the incoming call or take some other action. If there is no match found for the incoming telephone number in the phone book, it is typical for the number itself to be displayed and the user thus knows that the calling party is not listed in the user's phone book.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,211 describes alternative dispositions for an incoming call dependent upon matching of a caller ID. That document describes two alternative modes, one in which call screening is enabled and one in which it is not. If call screening is not enabled, all calls are “accepted”. If call screening is enabled, the caller ID number is captured and compared with a first list and a second list and depending upon these comparison, the call is either accepted, diverted to voicemail or rejected. This scheme provides the ability to screen incoming calls at times when the user does not wish to accept all calls. The scheme is, however, limited in its flexibility and application.
There is a need for a more flexible manner of allowing a user to control alternative dispositions for incoming calls.